Health Impacts of Climate Change

Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal

The Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal is a knowledge management tool for locating the most relevant scientific literature on the health implications of climate change. It provides access to a database of studies from around the world, published between 2007 and 2014. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) developed the database as a technical input to the U.S. Global Change Research Program's (www.globalchange.gov ) Sustained Assessment process. The portal is an effort to make this database more accessible to a wider global audience, and to provide updates on a regular basis to further the study of climate impacts on human health.

Framing Climate Change as a Public Health Issue

The American Public Health Association (APHA) works to build understanding and awareness of the public health implications of climate change - from effects on drinking water supplies, to changes in vector-borne diseases to extreme weather events. Strong climate change strategies and interventions that protect people's health are needed and the public health community plays a critical role.

The third National Climate Assessment was released in May 2014. This edition of the report is the first to establish the undeniable correlation between climate change and human health, while addressing key concerns and the need for action. The assessment found many ways climate change presents a growing threat to our nation's health including extreme weather events. wildfire, decreased air quality, insect-borne diseases, impacted food and water and even our mental health.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently developing new standards that will, for the first time, establish limits on carbon pollution from power plants. However, some in Congress plan to pursue efforts to block or delay EPA from developing these new protections. Without these standards, power plants will continue to emit these pollutants into the air unchecked.

Reducing these pollutants will help limit the gases that contribute to climate change, which poses serious, long-term health consequences including increased illness and death due to respiratory illness, heat-related stress and insect-borne diseases.

Please take the time to tell your members of Congress to oppose efforts to block or delay EPA from moving forward with protecting public health from the impacts of climate change.

Click here to access additional public health resources including Iowa-specific resources on the health impacts of climate change.

Iowa Public Health Association - Uniting and strengthening the voice for public health in Iowa